


Schrodinger's Bear

by SociallyUnacceptableGinger



Category: Far Cry 5
Genre: A Horror/Comedy no one asked for, Alcohol as a Coping Mechanism, Blood and Injury, F/M, Gratuitous use of italics, author cackling, blatant denial of feelings/attraction, guess you better fuck now, in which two idiots try not to die, mark the deputy down as scared and horny, whoops you're trapped in a cabin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:08:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22409980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SociallyUnacceptableGinger/pseuds/SociallyUnacceptableGinger
Summary: Jacob's face twitches in irritation. “I'm handling it.”She manages to snatch the bottle from his hands this time and takes another drink. Her lip curls in disgust but she soldiers on. “You call this-,” She gestures with the bottle around the cabin they're hiding in, “-Handling it?!”~Fucking with nature only ever ends in disaster. Clearly, the cult didn't get the memo.~
Relationships: Female Deputy | Judge/Jacob Seed
Comments: 20
Kudos: 164





	1. A lovely night for a stroll

There was something distinctly chilling about being in the Whitetails at dusk. The air seemed to become thicker as the night drew closer. Everything becoming eerily silent, save for the crunching of leaves under your boots and the wind rustling through the tall pines above you. The many animals that would be seen during the day appeared to vanish with the setting sun. Something in the forest would shift, become darker, almost malevolent.

She's running, Boomer hot at her heels as something chases them through the undergrowth. A bone-chilling howl echoes off the mountains around them, coming from no discernible direction from what she can tell. Why are they being chased? Well, it all started when Eli convinced her that she should do a stake-out on the Veterans Center. A horrible decision, in hindsight. _Aren't they all, though._

Apparently, there were rumors that Jacob was having the 'Judge Drug' tested on animals other than wolves. Eli thinks they may have created something they shouldn't have. A monster. Whatever it was, it must have escaped. People were being slaughtered, cultists and resistance members alike. Torn apart in ways they'd never seen before. She needed to find out what the creature was and whether or not they created more of them.

Everything was going well at first. If by _well_ , she meant boring. Jacob wasn't even in his fortress, all she could see were a few Peggies moving supplies around. By nightfall things become...strange. It started with the feeling of being watched. Swearing that she saw movement in the corner of her vision. Feeling like something was circling around them, staying in the darkness just out of her sight. Boomer growling at every snapping twig and moving bush. Catching the sight of a pair of antlers, and reassuring both Boomer and herself, “It's only a deer.” Then came the pant-huffing sound that was _awfully familiar_. If only she had known what waited in the shadows, then they wouldn't have been in that situation to begin with. That's neither here nor there, however, what's done is done.

The fern branches swat at her thighs as she practically flies through them, panting from both exertion and mind numbing fear. She has no idea what's chasing them through the night and she doesn't feel like slowing down to find out. Whatever it was, it was _heavy_ , trampling down everything in it's path.

As she sprints, the frigid air feels like needle pricks on her face. She isn't sure how much longer she can go for. Luckily, she can spot lights ahead of her. _A cabin maybe?_ Relief floods her system at the thought. They can hide in there until morning. At least during the day they'll be on equal footing.

 _Definitely a cabin_ , she confirms once she's close enough. She hurries onto the porch and looks over her shoulder to see- nothing. _Where's Boomer?_ She turns around fully and desperately searches the darkness in front of her, ears straining to hear the sound of paws hitting the frozen ground. She hears nothing except the wailing wind and the banging of the cabin's window shutters.

The icy grip of panic rises within her just as a scream pierces the air. Her head swings to the side, eyes wild. _That sounded like a man._ She's off the porch and running before she can even think about it, police training setting in. More pained wails echo around her, making the hair on the back of her neck stand. She curses, almost tripping over a tree root in her haste. She finally stumbles into a clearing. She can barely make out a shape on the ground and warily comes closer. It's a body laying with it's back to her. Rook swallows and grabs the person's shoulder to roll them over.

She throws herself back with a gag at the sight. It's one of Jacob's soldiers, going by the red and black uniform and the Eden symbol. The man has a gaping hole in his chest where his lungs and heart should be and three deep claw marks on both sides of his head. The skin is ripped enough for the face to be completely unrecognizable. She feels bile starting to rise up and takes a shuddering breath in. _What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck._

Her ears register the sound of voices and she startles. _Can't catch a fucking break tonight._ The voices are steadily getting closer so she stands up on shaky legs to hide behind a tree. Three men rush into the clearing. One of them makes her suck in a breath. Jacob. He has two of his Chosen with him and they all look more than a little tense. All of their weapons are drawn, two bows and a red hand gun. They go over and prod at the body. Both of the soldiers immediately start freaking out. All she hears from Jacob is a muttered, “Shit.”

Abruptly, Jacob rounds on his men, a disgusted scowl twisting his features. “You are soldiers! You will not stand here in front of me and whimper like children! Fear is for the _weak_.” The last part is said in such a deep growl that she feels it in her chest. He stares his men down for a moment before adding, “It's just a goddamn bear. Pull yourselves together.”

She holds in a snort. _A bear, Jacob. Really?_ Something tore that guys ribs open like a pair of cabinet doors and ate his organs! _What kind of fucking bear did that?!_ She is getting real sick of his Darwinist bullshit as well. Fear is what keeps you sharp. It keeps you from making stupid decisions that get you killed. _Hypocritical_ _asshole._ She bets he didn't believe half the shit that came out of his own mouth.

Didn't he realize that he was creating killing machines? Soldiers that can murder children without hesitation. Impale men and women on the side of the road while they're still breathing. Listen to their begging and crying without so much as a wince. Yes, she's sure those _soldiers_ will make great spouses/parents after the 'collapse'.

She contemplates whether or not she should run but quickly dismisses the thought. She's tired. Her lungs are still burning from earlier. There's no way she would be able to outrun all three of them. The best chance she has is to stay completely still until they- SNAP!

She glances down and sees a broken twig. _Sweet mother of fucking Christ!_ All three men turn towards her in sync. It would be comical if her heart wasn't trying to escape through her chest. Confusion mars Jacob's face for a split second, then recognition sets in when his eyes find hers. She groans internally at having to run again. There's no way she was going back in that cage. _What's up with him sticking people in dog kennels, anyway?...Maybe it's a kink._

She shakes _that_ thought away and takes off towards the cabin at a break-neck speed. She doesn't even bother to see if she's being followed. It didn't matter because she hears Jacob yelling behind her.

“No! The two of you keep looking for the others. I'll handle this myself!”

 _The others? Some of his men are missing_? This is turning into a nightmare. There's a man-eating monster hunting her. A Judge experiment gone wrong is also probably hunting her. To put a cherry on top of the shit-show sundae, she can't find her fucking dog either. She is _so_ ready for the night to be over. _Get to the cabin_. She tells herself. Lock herself in and cross her fingers that whatever's out there takes care of Jacob for her. That's two regions she won't have to deal with anymore.

The memory of Faith's body floating face-down in the river shrouds her vision and she shakes her head to clear it. Faith made her choice. She was too far gone to accept help from anyone.

Afterward, she can remember Whitehorse squeezing her shoulder in that fatherly way of his.

“You can't save everyone, Rook.” He had soothed. “I know that you would try to save that whole family if you could.” She had scoffed. Save the Seeds? The thought alone was ridiculous. The Sheriff wouldn't be deterred, though.

“You can give me that look all you want but I _know_ you.” Maybe he was right, to an extent. She can admit that much.

She would much rather arrest the brothers than be forced to kill them. Killing. It does something to people. Changes them. Most would think that just because you're killing horrible individuals that it would be easy. Wouldn't take a toll on you. She knows first-hand what bullshit that is. She's woken up far too many times in a cold-sweat, the slack faces of dead Peggies still flashing before her eyes.

Even now she runs instead of facing Jacob. Not because she's afraid of him. She is, but that's not the point. She runs because she knows that if he did tried to kill her she wouldn't have a choice. More blood to add to her hands. Another face to haunt her dreams. The image of Jacob dead before her with a bullet in his head brings no satisfaction. Only bitterness. How many people have to die, Joseph? Would he truly let her kill his whole family rather than stop this reign of terror? Something tells her that he would. He's too blinded by his own _vision_ that he fails to see what is right in front of him.

Rook becomes increasingly unsettled by the fact that she can't hear Jacob behind her. She knows he's there, though. Can almost feel his stifling presence like a weight on her back. She can finally see the lights of the cabin in the distance and wills her burning legs to keep moving. She reaches the porch and flings herself to the top of the stairs. A large forearm loops around her middle. _Damn, he's fast for a big guy._

She yelps as she's yanked back hard enough to throw her body to the cold packed ground. She lands on her back with the wind knocked out of her. There isn't much air in her lungs to begin with after all that running and her chest screams in protest. She wheezes while looking up at Jacob's face. He's _seething_. It was like the anger came off of him in waves. _Oh, boy_. It seems like some of that careful control of his finally snapped. She also can't help but notice that, unlike her, he had barely broken a sweat. _What is he, a Terminator or something?_ She blinks up at him, disbelievingly.

His hand goes for the gun strapped to his thigh and she doesn't hesitate. She kicks him hard in the knee and he falls with a pained grunt. She would try to run but he'd shoot her if she tried to get to the door. While he's down, she grabs his wrist, keeping the gun wielding hand away from her as she tackles him bodily onto his back. Her sweet moment of victory doesn't last long. His blue eyes are wide with cold fury and he snarls at her. Next thing she knows, the gun is dropped and she's being flipped.

A large hand pins her wrist to the forest floor, grip tight enough to bruise. Her breath leaves her in a huff. Rook reaches blindly in the direction the gun fell and he snatches that hand up and pins it down as well. She becomes fully aware of the scene they must make. Her knees straddling his hips. His lower half pressing her into the ground. He has both of her hands pinned above her head while he looms above her. Their faces are barely a couple inches apart and she can feel the heat of him through her jeans. Her neck flushes hotly, much to her annoyance. _He smells like a goddamn forest fire._ All smoke and pine. His eyes seemed to be searching hers for something and his drawling voice breaks the tense silence.

“What are you doing out here, Deputy?”

A question that she had been asking herself the whole night. The use of her title _almost_ makes her roll her eyes. Most people say it out of respect. He manages to make it sound like he's humoring her. Like she's a child playing dress up instead of an actual police officer. She wills her voice not to waver as she answers.

“I thought I'd take a little late-night stroll. You know? Get some fresh air.” He's less than amused by her sarcasm. She risks a taunting smirk and his eyes narrow ever so slightly. She was treading _very_ dangerously. _Self-preservation? Never met her._

"A Stroll...This close to the Vet Center?" His head tilts. " Somehow I doubt that.” An imitation of a smile graces his lips. Then it's gone as if she'd imagined it.

She has to remind herself to breathe. If he can just not look at her so that she can actually _think_ , that would be great. She wonders if he was always this intense or if he had perfected it over the years. She smiles inwardly at an image of a child with a mop of wavy red hair mean mugging anyone who dared look his way. She can admit to herself that out of the three brothers she found Jacob the most...interesting? That isn't really the right word. She's drawn to him in a way that she couldn't explain if she tried.

 _Did he just say something?_ She wasn't paying attention. _Yeah, because you're still staring at his lips._ She blinks and forces her eyes up. He's still watching her with a stony expression but now there's a strange glint in his eyes. _Great, he noticed_.

“Well?” He says.

“Well, what?” _Fake it 'til you make it._

He fixes her with a hard stare and his voice crawls over her skin. “Were...you...spying?”

She doesn't say anything. She doesn't have to. A slow smile starts at the corners of his mouth, not reaching his eyes.

“Spying for Eli, huh? Well ain't that sweet. Maybe you were even planning to get your little buddy out too?” The smile fell. “Tell me, Darlin'. How's it feel to be the errand girl for the Whitetails?”

It's her turn to be angry. “I'm just doing my job.”

He huffs humorlessly. “Your job? Is it your job to run around looking for vinyls for a pimple-faced teenager?...No? Well, I'm _sure_ you were just doing your job when you were watching me in the mornings, right?”

Her eyes widen and he chuckles darkly. “Yeah, I know about that.”

His weight presses down fuller on her abdomen and she swallows back a groan. “I also know that you've been spying on me for a _good_ while...A few weeks in fact. Why _is_ that, I wonder.”

His gaze turns calculating. She doesn't like the direction that this was heading. She can't even explain to herself why she kept coming back to watch him. This isn't the only time she had come by the Veteran Center. This is just the first time that she had been _asked to_. The real first time was around three weeks ago. She just wanted to confirm whether or not he actually lived there. The next couple times were her trying to get up the nerve to just take him out. She could have. She had him right in the cross-hairs of her rifle. All she had to do was pull the trigger, but...she didn't. She just watched. Watched and soaked up information about the 'monster in the mountains'. _And now there was two of them._

“Y'know-” He keeps talking conversationally, oblivious to her growing anxiety. “-if I didn't know any better I would almost think that you- Fuck!”

A furry blur slams into Jacob's side, knocking him off of her. She gasps and sits up. _Boomer!_ Her dog has his mouth clamped on Jacob's pant-leg and is tugging viciously. Jacob growls and grabs hold of Boomer's collar, yanking him off and holding his snapping jaws at arms length. Her heart plummets when his hand reaches for the gun he dropped. She's faster, she snatches hers out of her holster and levels it at him. 

“Shoot him and you die.” She threatens, voice calmer than she felt. Jacob looks at the gun in her hand as if he's debating whether or not she would actually take the shot. She would. She definitely would when it comes to those she loves.

He apparently comes to a decision. “Call him off and I won't have to.”

“Boomer! Leave it!” Her dog immediately lets go and turns to her, head cocked in confusion.

Another _very furry_ and much larger shape slams into Boomer like a truck. The force sends her dog rolling to the other side of the yard, unmoving. She's too shocked to scream. A pungent sweetness fills her nose that she had come to associate with the smell of bliss. The creature is tall, eight feet on it's hind-legs at least. It's fur is mottled gray and white with course, long hairs. It's massive body is almost bear-shaped but sharper. Leaner, like it's starving. It swings its head around to look at them and her heart pounds in her ears. The head is huge like a bears but it has pointed ears instead of rounded. _What the fuck did they make? A wolf-bear hybrid?_ It's milky- blissed out eyes watch them intelligently. Dread is settling heavy in her chest. This is it, this is how she dies. _Thanks, Jake._

The creature takes half a step forward and is suddenly stumbling with the weight of something hitting it's back. The...Werebear? Swipes a hairy arm around with an inhuman roar, trying to get at whatever attacked it. Boomer jumps back snarling and snapping, avoiding the creatures clawed hands. Her brave boy launches himself at it, knocking both of them into the underbrush. She can hear the brutal sound of two predators fighting, then a series of loud yips. Rook shoots up like a bullet to help her dog and is grabbed around the waist before she can get farther than a couple feet. Jacob starts dragging her towards the cabin.

“Let me go, Sasquatch!”

She tries kicking him but he's ready and easily avoids it. He flings the cabin door open and harshly shoves her inside. She barely manages not to fall to the ground with the momentum.

After locking the door behind himself he whirls around to face her only for her to throw herself forward, causing both of them to stumble back. She's on the verge of a panic attack. She has to get outside. She has to help Boomer. That thing is going to kill her dog! Jacob spins her around and slams her into the door, head smacking against the wood with a 'thunk.' Stars swirl in her vision as he shouts at her.

“You're gonna get us both killed over fucking dog! A dog, deputy!" Tears fill her eyes and she blinks them away angrily. He isn't just a dog. He's her family. 

She spits venomously, “Get out of my way, Seed.”

Jacob blinks and then barks a cruel laugh. “Fine. Be my guest, sweetheart. With you dead, that's one less thing for me to deal with.” His grin is mocking and she shoves down the urge to punch him.

He _graciously_ lets her go and steps back. She promptly unlocks the door and pulls it open, taking off without a backwards glance. She can hear the door slam shut behind her. She stops when she gets to the treeline. _What now?_

She starts by looking in the direction that they were fighting in. She weaves through the trees and comes out at a gravel road. Her hand clenches when she notices a splash of crimson on the small rocks. That fucking... _science experiment_ \- hurt her dog. She follows the blood trail, intently searching the area around her.

She halts when she can't see anymore drops of blood. Only another small puddle of it. _What?_ A drop of red falls into the puddle and she gasps. A low whine has her looking up. Her dog is in a tree. A fucking tree. Her stomach drops at the sight. He's, thankfully, still alive but he has a large gash on his flank. _Did the Judge put him up there?!_ She has no time to dwell on that _terrifying_ question. She has to act fast or her dog wasn't going to make it. She scurries up the branches and wraps an arm around him, settling him against her chest. Boomer keens in pain and she shushes him gently. She carefully maneuvers back down. As soon as her feet hit the ground she shoulders off her jacket and ties it around the dog, murmuring soothing things all the while. A tingle goes down her spine and she instinctively looks up. White eyes glow at her from the bushes.

A bears chuffling breaths has her pulse picking up, it's followed by a rumbling growl. _It's a fucking trap!_ She tightens her arms around her dog and runs as fast as her legs would carry her. This creature is a lot smarter than she gave it credit for. It knew that she would come after her dog. It knew how to lure her out and corner her. _Not today, demon bear_. She soon has the cabin in her sights and she isn't letting anything stop her from getting there. She feels a claw rip the back of her shirt and can't stop the cry that leaves her mouth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A gunshot rings out and she hears a snarl behind her. She looks over her shoulder quickly to see the creature lumbering back into the trees. She's surprised see Jacob on the cabin's porch. He has his handgun pointed at where the thing disappeared. She thought for sure that there would be a fight for him to let her back in the cabin. Instead he had actually saved her. _He only did it because Joseph has 'plans for you.'_ She reminds herself bitterly.

“Get inside!” He orders her. Normally, she would have snapped at him for that. Now, though, she has other things to worry about.

She carries her dog through the door, barely hearing Jacob close it behind them. She sets her dog down the kitchen table and runs to the sink. She looks underneath for some kind of trauma kit. Hunting cabins like this one usually had one under there. A flash of red catches her eye and she grabs it. She finds a bottle of moonshine and takes that as well. _Thank god for rednecks._ She rushes back to the table Boomer is laying on. Her dog is struggling to get up and she pushes him down firmly but gently. His eyes are terrified. She rubs his neck and pressed her cheek against his.

“You're alright.” She soothes. “I've got you. But you need to hold still so I can do this.”

Her voice causes Boomer to settle slightly. His calm won't last long, she knew. She has to do this before she loses the nerve. Rook unties her blood soaked jacket and throws it to the side. With a deep breath she pops the top on the moonshine and pours a generous amount onto the wound. The effect is instantaneous.

Boomer starts thrashing in her grip, letting loose an agonized wail. Her throat closes and her heart clenches. Oh god, he will never forgive her. Tears stream freely down her face as she attempts to hold him down. The wound is deep. She needed to stitch it but she knows she can’t do it by herself. A scarred hand grabs her wrist, startling her. Jacob had come up behind her and she hadn't even heard him. _Sneaky bastard._

“Stop. He's not going to let you stitch that. You're only gonna to get yourself bit.”

His condescension only pissed her off. “You got a better idea, asshole?” Instead of answering he pulls out a bliss dart, waving it in front of her face. _Absolutely not._

“No.”

“Yes.”

“You're not turning my dog into a fucking judge, Seed!”

He sighs wearily as if he's dealing with a toddler. “It's only a sedative. It won't do that.”

Rook glares back defiantly, knowing that she didn't have another option. He was right. He knew it too because he didn't wait for her to answer. His hands are gentle as he sticks the dart into the cattle dogs side. Boomer had calmed down considerably while they argued. He was becoming too tired to fight and only twitched in response to the sting.

Jacob ran his large hands through Boomer's hair in a way that would be considered comforting. _Holy shit. Jacob Seed likes dogs._ The man in question is looking at her funny. _Did I say that out loud?_

“Who do you think trains all the dogs for the Project, deputy?...John?”

Rook snorts. Hah! _Un-fucking-likely_. John wouldn't sully his designer clothes with dog hair and dog drool. Jacobs lips twitch slightly before his walls are shoved back up.

“He's down. Should stay that way for an hour or two.”

Right. She rifles through the trauma kit for the stitching supplies. The Deputy attempts to prepare the needle at steadily as she can but her hands are shaking pretty badly. _Fucking nerves_.

“Ain't no wonder you got such shitty aim, let me do it.” He snatches the needle out of her hands before she can form a scathing retort.

He's quick and efficient. She'll give him that. She can't help but watch him silently as he works with a single minded focus. She winces in sympathy every time the needle goes through skin, glad her dog isn't awake for this.

Jacob Seed is an enigma. She doesn't know if she wants to kill him or _fuck-_ not kill him. Just being here in the same room has her skin tingling in anticipation for a fight. The fact that he hadn't demanded that she give him her weapons hadn't escaped her notice. She can still kill him right here. Be done with all of it.

“That's as good as it's gonna get.” Jacob says, shaking her from her half-hearted plotting. “Lost a good bit of blood but he'll live.” He was done. She bends over to look at his work, her arm brushing Jacob's stomach. Something cold and hard suddenly presses against her temple and she freezes. Gun barrel.

“Your weapons, officer. If you don't mind.” Of course she fucking minds.

“Not a chance, Seed. How do I know you won't just kill me.”

“You don't think I've had numerous opportunities before this?”

He has a point there. He needs her alive, he had already said that much. A thought crosses her mind and she speaks without thinking. She really needs to see someone about that faulty brain-to-mouth filter.

“If you aren't going to kill me, what's stopping me from just taking out my gun and shooting you right here.”

Jacob presses his own gun harder against the side of her head in response and his voice sends a shiver down her spine. “If I have _no choice_ but to defend myself, I'm sure Joe would understand.”

She gulps, weighing her options. There weren't many. She can hand over her weapons and stay in here with less-subtle Charles Manson or she can take her chances with the Friendly Neighborhood Judge outside. _Fuck me_. Better to stick with the devil she knows. She holds up a hand in surrender and pulls her gun out slowly so that he won't misinterpret her actions. He takes it and gestures towards her hip.

“The throwing knives, too. I know you got some so don't try to bullshit me.”

Damn, there goes her plans for stabbing him in his sleep. She hands those over as well. The rest of her weapons were left behind at the stake-out camp. He pulls his gun away from her head and walks off, presumably to find somewhere to hide her stuff. She watches him walk away sourly. A _sshole._

She moves her dog from the table down to the rug underneath it. Now he wouldn't fall when he woke up, at least. She stands and mindlessly grabs the bottle of moonshine off the table, tossing back a mouthful without pause. _Holy shit, that burns!_

She lapses into a coughing fit that has Jacob coming back into the room. He smothers what could have passed as a laugh. A genuine one that has her flushing in embarrassment.

“Give me that. You ain’t old enough.” He snags it out of her hands while she gapes. _Ex-fucking-scuse me?_ His next comment has her nearly choking again. “Your mom ever teach you not to touch other people's things?”

 _What?!_ She looks closer around the cabin. The wolf pelts on the bed across the room. The military memorabilia. The crackling fire in the, frankly, _luxurious_ fireplace. The hardwood floors. The _familiar_ family portrait above the mantle. Shit, there was an 'honest to god', bear skin rug right out of a cheesy lumberjack porno. This wasn't just a convenient hunting cabin that she stumbled upon. This was _Jacob Seed's_ hunting cabin.

She watches Jacob take a swig of the bottle in his hands. He must have taken off his military jacket at some point. He's wearing a gray t-shirt that fits his form _well._ She scowls.

“Isn't there some kind of cult ban on that stuff?”

Jacob shrugs. “That's why I only drink it here.” The slight smirk he sends her makes her stomach flutter. _Down girl._

“'Sides, what Joseph don't know won't hurt him.”

This was getting into awfully flirty territory where she was concerned. Did he hit his head at some point or something? She reaches out for the bottle and he pulls it out of her reach.

“You ain't learned your lesson the first time, Honey?” She wants to wipe that self-satisfied smirk right off his scarred face. He's only distracting her from the shit show they just went through.

“You wanna tell me what the _hell_ that thing was, Seed? Or are we just gonna pretend I didn't see it?”

He looks like he would very much like her to drop the subject, body lining up with tension. "Bear, probably. It ain't nothin' you need to worry your pretty little head about." _Probably!?_

“What the fuck does _that_ mean!?”

He doesn't answer. She shoves him and he barely budges, making her angrier. "You know what? _Fuck you!_ I almost died tonight. My dog almost died tonight. I _deserve_ to know what that thing is!"

She's panting, hand still on his chest where she pushed him. His chest is hot under her palm and she can feel it rise and fall with his breathing. He looks like he's at war with himself, trying to get control of something inside him. 

A deep sigh makes his beard shift. His eyes close and he grudgingly admits, “I don't know what it is. I had my scientists start making new Judges out of other predators. Figured they'd be stronger. Bears. Cougars.” He tapped the table with his fingers, something she'd seen John do as well. Nervous habit. “Next thing I know, I get a call in the middle of the night. One of the new Judges escaped.” He waves a hand. “Slaughtered it's way right out of the lab.”

Making Judges was obviously not all they were doing. They must have been messing with something right under Jacob's nose. _But why?_

“You saw that thing, same as I did." She says. "I've seen enough bears in my life to know, _that_ definitely wasn't one.” She took a breath. “D'you think they were messing with genes? Dna and stuff?”

A lengthy pause. “It's possible.” 

She scoffs. _'Possible', he says._ "You really expect me to believe they made this thing without you knowing about it?” 

“I _expect you,_ to stay the fuck out of my affairs, but here we are.”

She has to laugh. _Is he serious?_ “Your _Affair_ is eating people! My people! You're _making_ your business my business!”

Jacob's face twitches in irritation. “I'm handling it _._ ”

She manages to snatch the bottle from his hands this time and takes another drink. Her lip curls in disgust but she soldiers on. “You call _this_ -,” She gestures with the bottle around the cabin they're hiding in, “- _Handling_ it?!” Jacob remains unfazed.

“I have four patrols tracking-”

“Four dead patrols, maybe.” She quips, causing his jaw to clench. 

She sighs and removes the hand that was still on his chest for some reason.

“Look,” she starts. “I don't know _why_ you wont admit you fucked up royally, and honestly, I don't care. Bottom line? Whatever the hell you guys made is out there murdering citizens. We need to come up with a game plan or something because, clearly-” She leans in closer to his face. “You can't _handle it_ by yourself, Seed.”

...Was that too far? That _may_ have been too far. _You really want to die tonight, don't ya, Rook._


	2. Nothing says America like apple pie and moonshine

_She sighs at his pinched face. “Look,” she starts. “I don't know why you wont admit you fucked up royally, and honestly, I don't care. Bottom line? Whatever the hell you guys made is out there murdering citizens. We need to come up with a game plan or something because, clearly-” She leans in closer to his face. “You can't handle it by yourself, Seed.”_

_...Was that too far? That might have been too far. You really want to die tonight, don't ya, Rook._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

His face goes through several stages of _pissed-off_ but amazingly, he doesn’t reach for his gun. Instead he asks a disgruntled, “Why would you help me?”

 _Stop the motherfucking car._ “Whoa, Ginger Ale. I'm gonna stop you right there. I'm not helping _you._ That thing's a threat to anything that _breathes_.”

Jacob's lips pull into a sneer at the name she gave him. _Good, it fits him._ Sharp and bitter. She takes another pull of the 'devil juice' and holds back a cough. _Stop drinking it, dumbass!_ After a tense few seconds he rubs his beard with a tired sigh. “Fine. We'll go after it tomorrow.”

She eyebrows raise. That was easier than she'd thought. She better let Eli know she wasn't dead, she should've checked in over and hour ago. She grabs her radio out of her belt and saunters into the living room for a semblance of privacy. “Hey, Eli? You around? Over.”

Something darts past the window outside and she jumps. _What the hell?_ She chews on the inside of her cheek, eyes straining to see any other movement in the darkness.

**'Yeah, I'm here. Go ahead, Over.'**

She closes her eyes and sighs. _Lay off the 'shine, Rook. You're hallucinating._

“I think I found something.” She tells Eli. “It's some kind of fucked up Judge. Stronger and smarter, I'm hiding in a cabin right now. Over.” She isn't gonna tell him who she's in the cabin with. She has a feeling that won't go over too well.

**'Shit, Dep! You okay? Over.'**

“I'm fine but, uh...”Her eyes burn. “Boomer was hurt pretty bad. Over.”

**' _Jesus..._ Is he gonna be alright? Over.' **

“God, I hope so.” _He better be._ Her tone darkens.“I'm going after that thing in the morning. Over.” She's going to kill it no matter what it took.

**'Well, listen. Stay safe, alright. I know you can take care of yourself but that thing ain't _normal._...And don't you worry yourself about Boomer. That boys tough, he'll pull through. Over.'**

She smiles. Yeah, her boy was tough. _Tough and brave_. She wasn't gonna let anything hurt him again. She wasn't going to let that _thing_ hurt anymore people.

“You stay safe, too. I mean it, Eli, get everyone on lock-down. Tell people not to leave their houses. Over.”

**'Okay, Alright. Now, get some damn rest, Woman. Over.'**

She grins stupidly.Leave it to Eli to make her smile in a grim situation. Sometimes she wished Eli was her type, she knows he has a little bit of a thing for her. _He isn't a giant redheaded cult herald, though._ She frowns at herself and turns around to go back into the kitchen.

She stops. Jacob is leaning casually against the doorway. “Done talkin' to your boyfriend? I couldn't help but notice you didn't mention me.” His mouth twists into a smirk. “Must not think he'd be too happy to know the company you're keepin'.”

She scowls and crosses her arms, pointedly ignoring the truth of the last part of that sentence. “He's not my boyfriend. Not that it's any of your business.” She repeats his words from earlier. “Ain't your mom ever teach you not to eavesdrop?”

Jacob rolls his eyes with a huff. “Cabin's only so big and you ain't exactly _quiet_.”

“Then at least pretend you didn't hear anything. You know, like a normal person.” She angrily takes another swig of the bottle in her hand and nearly spits it out. _Why do I keep drinking this?!_

“Why don't you look under the sink, there's another bottle in there that's more your speed.”

 _Her speed?_ Rook gives him a look and ducks under his arm, pressing the bottle into his hands as she passes. She marches over to the sink and looks underneath. A sound of discovery leaves her mouth. She pulls a different bottle out. This bottle is full of an amber colored liquid. She flips it over to look at the label.

“Apple Pie Moonshine” She reads aloud. _Seriously?_ She darts a quick look at Jacob who's watching her in the doorway. She stands up and carries her prize over to him.

“I never took you for the type, Mountain Man. You like the sweet stuff?”

“Not especially. That one's John's.”

Ah. _Yeah, that adds up._ She uncorks the bottle and pauses, eyeing it skeptically.

“It ain't gonna bite you, just try it.”

She wrinkles her nose at him. “Why, you trying to get me drunk, Seed?”

All that earns her is an unimpressed look. She huffs and takes a sip. Immediately, a warm sweetness coats her tongue. That spicy flavor is undoubtedly the taste of apple pie. _It's uncanny._ She doesn't know why she had been so hesitant to try it. This is downright _lovely-_

Wait. The burn that was absent thus far decided to flare up as soon as she swallows, leaving a scorching heat down her neck and into her chest. _Oh god, this one is worse_. It's _sneaky._ At least the first one let you know what was up right away. You don't wait 'til you're eight dates deep to tell someone you're secretly married with 3 kids.

_**(An: Imagine taking a nice warm bite of apple pie. You close your eyes to savor it and then some asshole throat punches you as hard as they can. That's the Apple Pie Moonshine experience, baby!)** _

She coughs and Jacob clearly revels in her suffering. “What's wrong, Sweetheart? Can't handle that one either? Want a juice box, instead?”

She sticks her tongue out at him childishly and takes another swig just for the sake of being spiteful. She grimaces and slips passed him to head for the couch. She may as well get comfortable, there's no way they're leaving until morning, anyway. The moonshine has her body feeling warm and comfortable. The second she settles into the cushions and closes her eyes she feels the other side of the couch dip.

Her eyes crack open and she looks over warily. Jacob is sitting next to her but he isn't looking at her, lost in thoughts she won't even try to figure out. Every once in a while he raises his own bottle to his lips and drinks. She takes the time to study the scars on his face, his neck, his arms, his hands. She wonders how many scars she would find under his shirt if she looked. Wonders how long could she keep herself from reaching out and _touching-_?

“You gonna stare at me like that all night?”

 _Fucking god._ She really needs to stop looking at him like a snack or he's gonna catch onto her little fixation. She looks back up into his eyes. He's watching her curiously.

“You're gonna give me a complex if you ain't careful.” He smiles, a deadly flash of teeth. He gets up and walks to the other side of the room. _What's he doing?_ He opens a closet door and pulls down a wrapped bundle. He tosses the bundle at her. A blanket.

“Get some sleep, Deputy. We ain't all as young as you are.” He eyes her, head cocking. “How old are you, anyway?”

Her fingers caress the suede armrest absentmindedly. “Twenty-four.”

Jacob whistles. “Goddamn, really?” He looks genuinely surprised and her eyes narrow.

“Yeah, why?”

“I would've put you in your late twenties, early thirties.” He rubs his beard thoughtfully. “ Seems Eli don't got a problem letting a kid do his dirty work.”

“A kid?!”

“Fresh outta the academy, I bet.” He muses, ignoring her spluttering. The heat in her cheeks give her away. _Shit._ He shakes his head disbelievingly, an almost gleeful look in his eyes. She needs to derail this train quick.

“What's that _cute_ little nickname your friends call you...hm?”

 _Stop._ Like a bloodhound on the trail he wouldn't let up.

“Oh, right. I remember... _Rook?_ That wouldn't be short for, 'Rookie', now would it?”

“No.” She lies. “It's my middle name.” _What the fuck was that?_

Jacob searches her face. “That right?” His tone suggests that she's full of shit. She definitely is.

“What _is_ your name?” He asks, just as she feared he would. She plays dumb, trying to think of an excuse not to tell him.

“What?”

“Your _name_ , deputy. I'm assuming you have one.” He stresses the word 'name' as if she's an idiot.

“Yeah, I gotta fucking name, asshole.” She snipes at him. _Ginger prick_. All he did was raise his eyebrows expectantly. If she lies, he'll know, she's not the best at it and he's like a fucking hawk. Can see every slip up she's ever made. _God motherfucking dammit!_

She rolls her eyes with a tired sigh and tells him.

He tries her name out on his tongue. There's something about the way he said it that has her pulse sky rocketing. _No one_ calls her by her name. Not even her family. They all call her by some nickname. It's like she just gave him a piece of herself and she isn't sure how she feels about it. Rook is suddenly exhausted.

 _Can I just sleep? Please?_ “I would've already known it if your uniform had a name tag. All the other deputies got one, why don't you?” _Apparently not._

“What is this, twenty questions?!” He remains unfazed by her exclamation if not slightly amused.

“I don't have one, yet.” She mutters, reluctantly.

“ _What._ ”

“I said-!”

“Oh, I heard. Just _how new_ are you?” Jacob teases mercilessly, eyes flashing at her thunderous expression. She'd been a Junior Deputy there for a good four months before all this shit went down. People just like to procrastinate that's all.

Jacob snorts before she can say anything cutting. “You know what? Don't answer that.” He chuckles all the way over to his bed. Her eyes follow him angrily. _This redneck asshole-_

He whips his shirt over his head and she fucking squeaks. _Oh my god._ His dog tags swing with the movement and she takes in the sight of his bare chest. She doesn't have to wonder anymore about what was under his shirt. He is absolutely _covered_ in scars. Some big, some small. She has the ridiculous urge to feel them under her lips. Somehow he becomes even more imposing now that she can see just how much muscle there really is. _That's a big boy._ Her eyes take him in almost greedily as he disappears into the bathroom. She tries snapping herself out of it when she hears the water kick on. _For the love of all that is good in the world: STOP STARING AT HIM._

She tears her eyes away and takes a large gulp of the moonshine in her lap. She hisses through the burn. Maybe she should _lay off_ the alcohol, on second thought. She knows that she's already a little too tipsy. _Next thing you know, you'll be licking the poor man._ She bites her lip and runs a shaky hand through her hair at the thought.

 _Ugh._ She feels grimy. She should probably take a shower too. That should take her mind off of a certain redhead. She hears a whimper and looks over, into the kitchen. Boomer's awake and she watches him sit up and begin to stiffly make his way over to her. She coos at him in encouragement and he plops down at her feet at soon as he reaches her. _He still loves me!_

“Hey, baby boy. You okay?”

Boomer blinks up at her with those whiskey brown eyes and she strokes his head. She could have lost him tonight. Rook feels quietly grateful for Jacob in that moment, if not for him she surely would have. She also feels a bit guilty. She knew bringing him along was a bad idea. All things considered, it could have been worse, though.

When Jacob comes out of the bathroom she stands up. “Can I...borrow something to wear?” He gives her a once over from head to toe and she gnaws her bottom lip, doing the same. _Wet._ He's wet and only wearing a pair of black drawstring sweatpants. Her eyes follow the trail of red hair down to the waistband. _Eyes up, you fucking heathen!_

“I doubt anything will fit, little as you are.” He says, causing her gaze to snap back up. He walks over to his dresser, his back to her. So he _did_ have an ass. _A nice one too_. She barely catches the clothes when suddenly tosses them over to her. Black sweatpants and a t-shirt that she would swim in. The pants were smaller than Jacob's. Either John's or Joseph's. Her face scrunches up at the thought of wearing anything belonging to them. _But you don't have a problem wearing Jacob's clothes?_

“Thanks!” She blurts, practically running to the bathroom. She presses her back up against the closed door. _What is wrong with me?!_ Yeah, he was weirdly hot, but still a fucking cult herald. Still a murderer. Still _ate_ a person. _Did he, though?_ That whole story kinda felt like a scare tactic if you asked her.

She peels her nasty clothes off her body and catches sight of herself in the mirror. She looks like a train-wreck. Blood and dirt on her face, bags under her eyes. _When was the last time I slept?_ It had to have been a couple days at least. She steps into the stall and tries to work out the knobs. After getting a face-full of frigid water she finally figures it out. The warmth cascading down her back has her moaning in relief. There's nothing better than a hot shower after being out in the cold all day.

She can hear a stilted conversation outside the bathroom. Sounded like Jacob was trying to get in contact with his team without any luck. She may have been trying to piss him off earlier but she really _did_ think that his patrols were dead. After being up close and personal with that creature she knows that it's clever. She doubts his men stood much of a chance.

She tentatively sniffs at the bottles of shampoo that are in the shower rack. _Oh, this one's spicy._ Jacob definitely used this one. She thought she caught a similar smell when she rushed by him earlier. She shakes her head and tests a different bottle. This one was more of a vanilla/sandalwood kind of smell. _Must be John's_. She decides to use that one. _More feminine_. She snickers to herself. She then scrubs her body _thoroughly_ with the bar of Irish spring that is in there.

Feeling a lot better than she had in days, she steps out and towels off. She decides not to wear the pants, the idea of being in them too weird for her. Jacob's shirt went down to her knees anyway. She runs her fingers through the knots in her hair, doing what she can without a brush.

Steam rolls out of the bathroom as she opens the door. _Did the fire go out?_ The cabin is significantly darker and more chilly than before she went into the bathroom.

“...Jacob?” Her eyes scan the room.

“Shhh!...Walk to the bed. _Slowly._ ” Jacob's voice whispers.

She wants to question him but something in his tone makes her comply. She makes her way across the low-lit living room on light feet until she reaches the large bed. She nearly yelps when a hand shoots out and grabs her arm, pulling her down. _He really needs to stop doing that._

She glares at where Jacob's crouched beside the bed, he only raises a finger to his lips in warning. His obnoxious red rifle is resting against his side and she wonders why he had it out. A low grumbling growl makes her startle. Her eyes flick over and spot a dark shape on the ground. Boomer. Her dog is laying in front of the bed but he isn't looking at either of them. His head is raised, eyes locked onto something. She follows his gaze slowly, landing on the front window across the room. _Oh fuck._

She can see the Hybrid Judge pacing back and forth outside.


	3. What kind of fuckery is this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this year has been an absolute nightmare, hasn't it? It took me a long time to get the motivation to write again. I stopped, not just because of what was going on, although that did play a large factor. Mostly I was just tired of forcing myself to do it. Writing used to be something I enjoyed. It takes a negative impact on my writing and my mental health when I push myself to just 'get it done'. That isn't fair to the readers or me. I had to sit back and really rediscover that love for writing again. This is who I am. This is what I've wanted to do all my life. I just had find it again.
> 
> Anyway, here's the next chapter.

_Her eyes flick over and spot a dark shape on the ground. Boomer. Her dog is laying in front of the bed but he isn't looking at either of them. His head is raised, eyes locked onto something. She follows his gaze slowly, landing on the front window across the room. Oh fuck. She can see the Hybrid Judge pacing back and forth outside._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The dog noticed it before I did. Thought the lack of light might make it lose interest.” Jacob murmurs softly. Rook watches it move in front of the window. It lifts a massive paw and rests it on the glass as if it's testing the give. It could break the glass fairly easily if it wanted to. She knows it. It definitely knows it. She closed her eyes. _Please don't come through the window._

“Deputy?”

“Hm?”

She opens her eyes and and looks over at Jacob. “There any reason in particular that you're not wearing pants?” He glances down at her bared legs before pointedly looking back up to her face. Her eyes must be playing tricks on her because she could swear his face is just a little bit flushed.

She shrugs and Jacob's eyes narrow. “It's fifty degrees and dropping. I can't start the fire while that-” He nods towards the window. “-is outside. Trust me, you're gonna want to wear them.” His head tilts slightly. “Are John's sweatpants too big?” So they were _John's_ pants.

She glowers at him and lies. “They're uncomfortable.” She can't see him but she can practically feel the eye roll he must be giving her.

“More uncomfortable than the cold?” He asks smartly. A shiver wracks her body then, reminding her just how cold it's getting in the room. _Fuck._ Maybe she should have wore the pants, on second thought. She gets up with a huff, ignoring his smug look as she slowly makes her way back to the bathroom. Just as she's exiting she hears gunshots go off in the distance.

She rushes back into the room. “Did you hear that?”

Jacob is already standing with his rifle in his hands. She expects him to make some comment about not being deaf but he just says, “Yeah, the bear heard it too. It just took off.” Jacob takes his radio out. “If there's any patrols still out there you need to pull back now! Head back to the Vet center and await further instructions! I repeat! Head back to the Vet center and await instructions! Over.”

Her eyes stray over to the window. They need to do something about that. The Judge could come back and decide to go right through that glass. She runs across the room and starts shoving the dresser that way. Jacob must catch on to her plan because he grabs the table and puts it in front of the other window, then grabs the couch and uses it to hold the table in place. It isn't much but it's better than nothing.

“We should have hid in your bunker.” She pants.

Jacob's gives her a disbelieving look. He isn't even breathing hard, the asshole. “It's a mile and a half west of here, you really want to run that far?”

“Hell no.” She says quickly with a grimace. “I'm just saying that we'll be lucky if we make it until morning.”

Jacob grabs a moonshine bottle off the nightstand and raises it in a salute. “Here's to being lucky.” He says and takes a swig.

Jacob makes her take first watch, much to her annoyance. It's not like she could sleep anyway but still. She uses the time to snoop through the rest of the cabin. Wearing a blanket as a shawl she sneaks into the kitchen and looks through the cabinets. She finds some candles and uses those to light up some of the rooms so that they could actually see something. The bed creaks and she looks over. She's relived to see Jacob is still asleep. He has a small frown on his face and his brows are tightly knitted. Even in sleep Jacob has such a tense look about him. _Maybe he wouldn't be such a scary asshole if he found some way to relax._ An invasive thought of just how she could relax him pops into her mind and she shuts that shit down quick. Munching on some of the crackers that she found in the kitchen, she continues to wander around.

Boomer watches her from his spot on the bed at Jacob's feet. _Traitor_. There's a large set of cabinets behind where the couch used to be and she opens them curiously. _Holy shit, that's a huge collection of movies_. Every single one is in alphabetical order. The fact that the brothers probably come out here and have movie night just like any other family is so bizarre to her. She finds herself sitting on the floor and reading all the movie titles. There's a lot of classics as well as newer movies that she hasn't even seen yet. She'd be tempted to watch one of them if not for the fact that they had to stay quiet. She barely holds in a snort as she finds a few romance movies as well. _The Notebook, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Sleepless in Seattle, Pretty Woman_....The list goes on. She's grinning stupidly at the fact that either John or Joseph made Jacob watch those at some point. She doesn't know how long she's been sitting there but she hears the bed creak again. This time Jacob is awake and looks less than impressed at what she's doing.

She swallows. “Hey.”

His lips thin and his voice is a dry rumble when he answers. “If you were looking for your weapons you're out of luck. They ain't in there.” She wasn't, actually. The fact that she didn't even think about looking for them is a little bit humiliating. What was she supposed to say, though? _'Oh, actually I'm just really interested in learning about the enigma that is Jacob seed by looking through his stuff._ ' That doesn't sound weird at all.

“Yeah, I figured that out.” She says. He closes his eyes and rolls onto his back with a deep sigh. For a moment she thinks he's going back to sleep but he speaks a moment later. “Are you coming over here or what?”

Her mind blanks."What?”

He gets up out of the bed with a groan, patting Boomer on the head as he does so. He grabs his clothes off the side table and turns to face her. “I'm taking watch since you clearly can't be trusted to do so.” She gives him a sour look at that. “Are you sleeping in the bed or not?” He demands impatiently. Hold up.

“In _your_ bed?” She re-affirms.

“Do you see any other beds around here, Deputy? You're welcome to sleep on the couch instead. 'Course you'd have to move it from the window, putting both of us at risk.”

She doesn't even react to the jab, her mind reeling. She was almost positive he would make her sleep on the floor or something since they moved the couch. He left her in a dog kennel for a week straight and now he's offering her his bed? What, he needs her help so now he's going to play nice?

Despite his questionable motives for being a decent human being she isn't willing to look a gift horse in the mouth. She says nothing and silently goes over to the bed and gets in. _Oh god, the bed smells like him._

Jacob watches her with a carefully neutral look. She nibbles at her bottom lip, a nervous habit she's had since she was a child. His gaze immediately drops down to track the movement. She can literally feel the energy in the room change. She sees his jaw clench as he meets her eyes again. Gone is the smooth indifference. His face is so suddenly full of something open and heated that she knows if she asked him right now he would join her on that bed. The thought alone makes her gasp out loud. That seems to break whatever spell Jacob is under and he steps back, face clearing into that emotionless mask she's so sick of seeing. He tears his eyes away and stalks into the bathroom as if he didn't just drop a goddamn revelation right into her lap.

She falls back onto the bed with a groan. _What in the hell was that?_ That look on his face spoke volumes. He wants her. He can deny it all he likes but now she knows it. He slipped up and she caught it. Why does that discovery make her almost giddy? It's not like she's going to act on it. _Right?_ Nothing can actually happen between them anyway. It's not like she hasn't thought about it, she's only human after all. Everything about him is right up her fucking alley. Strong, clever, dangerous- _No!_ It can't happen, obviously. It would be against everything she stood for. It would be thrilling, it would be reckless. It would be-Fuck, she would be out of her mind to even consider-

Jacob comes out of the bathroom, startling her, and her eyes fall shut. Eventually she hears Jacob move into the kitchen. Her eyes open and she rolls onto her side, intending to actually go to sleep. It takes her a while to calm her nerves, it's not every day that you find out that your enemy wants to fuck you. Boomer moves up and settles himself in the crook behind her legs and she smiles. The smell of smoke and pine eventually lulls her into blessed darkness.

A particularly violent clap of thunder has her sitting straight up in the bed. Her hand grasps the front of her tank-top right atop her racing heart. It's still dark out, probably the early hours of the morning. Rain in pelting against the side of the cabin and she listens to it while her heart-rate slows. Her eyes seek out Jacob in the barely lit room and she sees him sitting in a chair between the two windows. She doesn't even blink at the fact that he's sharpening his knife in the dark. Which, yeah- is so fucking creepy- but exactly what she expects from him at this point.

“How long's it been going like that?” She asks, referring to the storm.

Jacob doesn't even look up or stop what he's doing. “Couple hours.”

She goes to ask him what time it is when a radio buzzes to life. **'Brother Jacob?'** He holsters his knife and swiftly grabs the radio off the floor by his feet. He makes eye contact with her and brings a finger to his lips. Clearly Jacob doesn't want anyone to know she's with him, either. “Yes, what is it?”

They wait a few moments. **'Brother John told me to inform you that one of your missing scientists has been captured trying to flee the Whitetails. He also wanted to ask if you would like him...questioned.'** Jacob thumbs the radio, brows furrowed in thought. With John, questioned _really_ meant tortured within an inch of your life until you break and tell him what he wants to know.

Jacob doesn't even answer the question. “Get my brother.”

**'...Brother John is in the middle of a-'**

Jacob cuts him off. “Did I ask you what my brother was doing?” The underlying threat in his otherwise calm tone has her face heating against her will. _God, why am I like this?_ Something about his darkly spoken, drawn-out words has her heart working double time.

**'O-of coarse, Sir. I apologise-I'll get him right away.'**

She almost feels sorry for the guy. He sounded pretty terrified. Jacob will do that to you. _Too bad his threats just turn you on._ Her inner voice is as helpful as always. She gets up off the bed and slips into the kitchen to get a drink of water. Since she wants to be _thirsty_.

John's falsely cheery, out of breath voice comes over the radio. **'Brother, dear! Did Michael not tell you that I was busy?'** If anyone one else had said that to Jacob they would have five seconds to live, max. Jacob, though, doesn't even react to it. _It is his brother after all, he's probably used to his shit by now._ She catches herself grinning at Jacob’s answer.

“No, he told me, I just don't care” A pause.“Why do you sound like you've been running?”

That's what she wants to know. A thought occurs to her as another rumble of thunder cuts through the rain. _Where the hell is my dog?_ He wasn't on the bed when she got up. She sets her glass of water down and comes back into the room. She catches Jacob's eyes and mouths, 'Where's Boomer?' He gestures towards the bed. She's confused for a moment and ducks down to see Boomer hiding underneath it. She isn't surprised to see that he's hiding. He's always hated storms. She coos at him as John's flippant answer comes over the radio.

 **'Oh, you know how... _strenuous_ getting confessions can be.'** She can hear a woman's moans of pain in the background and she forgets that she's supposed to be silent. She barely registers that Jacob is talking before she's blurting out, “Is that Joey?!”

Jacob stops mid-sentence and sends her a death glare. **' _My, my_. If it isn't the Deputy, herself. What on earth is she doing with you, Jacob?'** John purrs, packing as much delighted innuendo as he can into one question. Rook's face flushes hotly but she ignores him and marches over to snatch the radio out of Jacob's hand. She studiously avoids his, no doubt, furious gaze.

“Answer the damn question!” She snaps. “If you hurt her I swear-”

John's breathy laugh comes over the radio. **'I can assure you that Deputy Hudson is doing just-Ow!'** _Ow?_

There's a struggle over the radio and then- **'I'm _fine_ , Rook.'** _Why the hell was Joey answering the radio?_

“If he's not hurting you, then why-”

_Oh._

**'Don't say anything! Just...Can we talk about this later. I swear I'm okay.'**

_Well, then, I guess those weren't moans of pain._ She suddenly feels much better about her own attraction towards a certain red-head. She glances at Jacob, who is watching her with a calculating intensity. She swallows and tells Joey, “We are _definitely_ talking about this later. Put John back on.”

She hands the radio back to Jacob quickly, trying to avoid his eyes. The second it's in his hand she turns and goes into the bathroom, intending to get dressed. She's _definitely_ not hiding in there trying to process the absolute _fuckery_ that's happening around her. There's a killer Judge on the loose. She's teaming up with Jacob Seed, of all people, to kill the damn thing. Joey is fucking Johnny Seed. Which is not at all what she she expected. She was sure that hate ran deep. _So that's why John and his merry band of cultists have been so quiet._ She assumed that he was laying low so she went to Jacob's territory to break his things instead. _Jacob Seed wants to fuck you_ , her inner voice sing-songed at her. Yeah, as if the bombshell of everything else wasn't enough he had to drop that on her too. No big deal. _This is fine._ She's not freaking out at all.

She's furiously tugging her jeans on, doing her best to eavesdrop on the brothers conversation through the closed door. She hears bits and pieces. Apparently the scientist showed up in John's region with a couple folders of data about the Judge trials and the drug itself. John says that he's sure the man was planning on getting out of Hope County with it. _Probably going to sell it or something._ Jacob must have read her mind because that's what he tells John.

She opens the bathroom door and pads back into the room as John answers. **'That's what I thought as well. I'll have to do a little digging to be sure.'** _Yeah, with a knife_. She sits on the side of the bed and tries to coax Boomer to come out.

Jacob hums and she looks up at him. He's staring at her with a pensive look. “Our little Judge problem was probably nothing more than a distraction.” He's obviously talking to the both of them.

She shrugs. “He also got rid of all of the other scientists that might stop him. Two birds with one stone.” Jacob's eyebrows rose. “Perceptive.” He told her. She couldn't tell if he was mocking her or if he was actually impressed. Knowing him, it was probably both.

 **'You're lucky that I just so happened to have my men watching the borders for your deputy to come back. Otherwise he may have just gotten away with it.'** _Excuse me?_ Since when did she belong to Jacob and why did that make her stomach swoop like she's on a roller coaster?

Jacob is eyeing her again, making her feel like an organism under a microscope. John's loud voice breaks through the strange staring contest.

 **'Is that all? I would love to get back to what I was doing before you so rudely disrupted me.'** _I bet you would._

Jacob rolls his eyes, thinking the same thing more than likely. “Fine, let me know what you find out.”

 **'Yeah, yeah. Try not to get eaten. Talk to you later.'** So, that's John's round about way of telling his brother to be careful. Jacob's lips quirk up in a smile. A real one this time and she can't help herself.

“Better be careful. Someone might think you're actually human.” She teases him.

His eyes snap to her and his smile turns into a scowl, causing her own grin to falter. She holds her breath when he stands up abruptly and stalks to the bed. He leans over her, setting the radio on the nightstand with one hand, never breaking her gaze. He straightens up and before she can so much as make a sound he snatches her hands up and pushes her flat to the bed.

“You are _really_ trying my patience, sweetheart” He breathes darkly, slotting a knee between hers. _Fuck._ “Tell me, do you deliberately go out of your way to disobey everything I tell you.” She swallows thickly and he goes on without waiting for an answer. “I tell you to keep watch. What do you do?”

His eyes flash with a strange sort of energy. “You go through my things. I tell you to be quiet...” He trails off. His thumb caresses the pulse point in her wrist and she sucks in a breath.

She should really say something, anything, to stop this. If she doesn't then she's really going to do something stu-.

“So very _impulsive_. Must be exhausting.” Jacob says with a growl-low in his chest-meant to scare her no doubt.

So of course she's never been more turned on in her _life_. She's barely holding herself at bay. Her breath is coming out in pants and she glares up at him through a haze of lust.

His lips peel back in a snarl, flashing white teeth at her. “It's _you_.”

His hand lets go of her wrist and tugs his knife out of his holster. She's alarmed for a brief moment-thinking maybe she finally pushed him too far- until he sets it on the nightstand with the radio. “It's always like this with you; Why do you have to make everything so goddamn _difficult_.”

His hand slams down on the bed and he growls. “Are you incapable of cooperating with anyone, or is it just me?”

She can be uncooperative at the best of times but in all honesty he's the only one she does it to on purpose. He leans further over her and she has to stop herself from arching up against him.

“Well?” He demands.

“You.” She breathes. “It's just you.”

His eyes widen, showing blown out pupils with a thin ring of blue. His hand cups her jaw and her tongue darts out to wet her lips. “You drive me insane.” He admits, softly. "You do know that, don't you."

“Do I?” She asks. _In for a penny._ “You really should do something about that.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! We love a cliffhanger in this house. Smut next chapter?


End file.
